Dispensing head for spacer material



May 3, 1960 HOEFFGEN Em 2,935,273

DISPENSING HEAD FOR SPACER MATERIAL 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Jan. 23, 1958 INVENTO Rs 111/ 26a (/5572 W ATTORNEY y 1960 K. HOEFFGEN ET AL 2,935,273

msmnsmc HEAD FOR SPACER MATERIAL Filed Jan. 2a, 1958 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTORS A7 TTOPA/E Y 1960 K. HOEFFGEN ET AL 2,935,273

DISPENSING HEAD FOR SPACER MATERIAL Filed Jan. 23, 1958 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 [.VVENTORS cm 777 w? BY 23%;; 5

y 1960 K. HOEFFGEN EI'AL 5,

ms susmc HEAD FOR SPACER MATERIAL Filed Jan. 23, 1958 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 INVENTORS 4 TTOENf Y United States Patent DISPENSING HEAD FOR SPACER MATERIAL Kurt Hoeifgen, John Mynar, Jr., and Ronald 0. Warner, Flint, Mich., assignors to General Motors Corporation, Detroit, Mich, a corporation of Delaware Application January 23, 1958, Serial No. 710,815

8 Claims. (Cl. 242-67.2)

broad coil is slit into a number of narrow strips and re-coiled for ease in handling and working. The slitting operation and the re-cOiliHg operation are generally performed on adjacent machines so that the narrow strips are rewound as soon as the steel passes through the slitting machine. A number of problems have been encountered in re-coiling the narrow strips, particularly in taking up the slack that frequently develops as a result of inherent conditions in coil steel. These inherent conditions include such things as variations in thickness, in ternal stresses, tensions in prior winding processes, and the like, built up during the processing of the steel at the mill source.

It has also been customary in the past to compensate for these inherent conditions and insure a tight coil in the re-coiling process, by hand feeding spacer material into the coil as the coil is being formed. This spacer material may be in the form of short lengths of crinkled paper, or the like, stacked in a convenient place adjacent the re-coiling machine, and inserted one by one by the operator as necessary. This has been, at best, a very hazardous operation. The ribbon of steel being re-coiled travels at a very high speed and the operator inserting the spaced material must necessarily be in a very precarious position with respect to the steel ribbon, to get close enough to feed in the spacer material. Any contact, therefore, between the steel ribbon and the operator or his clothes can result in a serious accident endangering life or limb.

The device in which this invention is embodied comprises a spacer material feeding head mounted on a supporting structure and adjacent the steel coils being formed. The feeding head is manually controlled from a position safely away from the re-coiling machine and in a position where the operator can better judge when spacer material need be inserted. As well as removing the dangers and hazards of the manual method of inserting spaced material, the device gives a more efi'icient operation, and great savings are accomplished in safety, economy, operator effort, and assurance of a well wound steel coil.

In the drawings:

, Figure l is an elevational view of the dispensing head and supporting structure in position of use.

Figure 2 is an end view of the structure of Figure 1 showing the dispensing head in dashed and dotted lines in an alternate position. A,

Figure 2a is an enlarged view of Figure 3 with parts broken away and in section showing the method of mounting the dispensing head.

Figure 3 is an elevational view of the spacer material feeding head with parts broken away to show the feeding mechanism.

Figure 4 is an enlarged sectional view substantially along the line 44 of Figure 3 showing the spacer material supply roll and braking mechanism.

Figure 5 is an enlarged side view looking in the direction of the arrows 5-5 of Figure 4 showing the spacer material roll braking mechanism.

Figure 6 is a fragmentary plan view of the dispensing head taken substantially along the line 66 of Figure 3 showing the driving mechanism for the dispensing head.

Figure 7 is an enlarged sectional view of a portion of Figure 3 showing the spacer material driving rolls.

Referring more particularly to the drawings, Figures 3 through 7 best show the spacer material dispensing head and related details. The dispensing mechanism is contained within a pair of side plates 10 and 12 and an end plate 14, secured to the side plates in any suitable manner, as by welding or bolts. Spacer material is provided in the form of a roll 16 and mounted on a two piece shaft, having the parts 18 and 20, passing through I bushings 22 and 24 in the side plates 10 and 12. The spacer material roll hub is comprised of a pair of sections 26 and 28 secured to the shaft portions as by set screws 3% and 32. A pair of side walls 34 and 36 retain the spacer material and are secured to the hub sections 26 and 28 by machine screws 38. The spacer material is fed from the outer periphery of the spacer material roll and the end 40 extends toward the nose of the dispensing head. Sheet metal guides 42 and 44 direct the spacer material in the proper direction and are secured to the side plates 10 and 12 by the brackets 46 held in place by machine screws 48. A pair of knurled feed rollers 59 and 52 contact the spacer material at either side thereof at the nose of the dispensing head, to feed the spacer material into the steel coil. The knurled rollers are supported in the side plates 10 and 12 by shafts '54 and 56, the shaft '54 passing through bushings 58 and 6G and the shaft 56 passing through similar bush ings not shown. The drive for the knurled feed rollers is provided by a motor 62 mounted in a suitable manner on the back end of the dispensing head. A bevelled gear 64 is secured to the motor shaft 66 and drives a second bevelled gear 68 supported on the shaft 70 passing through bushings 72 and 74 in the side plates. The shaft 70 extends through side plate 10 and has a sprocket gear 76 secured to the extended portion. Likewise, shaft 54, supporting one of the knurled feed rollers, extends through the side plate It) and has a sprocket gear 78 secured thereon. A chain 80 encircles the two sprocket gears 76 and 78, driving the feed roller as the motor 62 is operated. A sheet metal guard 82 is secured to the side plate 10 by machine screws 84 to protect the chain and drive sprockets from dirt and dust. A sheet metal plate 86 is provided over the side plates 10 and 12 and secured to the plates as by machine screws 88 to protect the bevelled gears. Suitable On OE controls for the motor are provided through the cable 90 extending from the motor to a suitable control position, later described.

The spacer material 16 may be of any suitable type, such as crinkled paper, and may be formed of a long strip of paper, perforated across the width at spaced intervals along the length of the paper for ease in tearing" off any desired amount, and rolled up for ease in hairdling. As is illustrated in Figure 7, the knurled feed rollers 50 and 52 are provided with different sized knurls to crinkle, or further crinkle, the spacermaterialand to.

' i provide a pressure on the spacer material so the material knurled rollers. t

spasms is stopped. To further aid in the tearing process, the spacer material roll mechanism is provided with a brake, best shown in Figure 5. The shaft portion 20 on which the roll is supported extends through the side plate 12 and an arm 92 is pivotally secured to the side plate 12 by the bolt 94. A band of friction material of any suitable j kind 9 6.is-bonded to the pivot arm 92 and bears on the collar 98 secured to the shaft portion 26. A spring 109 acting between the pivot arm 92 and a washer 192, and surrounding the bolt 104, biases the pivot arm and friction material against the shaft collar. 7 The bolt 164 is secured in ablock 106 attachedto the side plate 12 by machine screws 103. It is evident, therefore, that when the knurled feed rollers stop, in response to a stopping of the drive motor,;the friction material will prevent the spacer material roll'from continued rotation due to its own momentum, and allow the spacer material to tear ofi 'at the a In order to re-insert spacer material rolls when a roll has. run out, an arm 110, forming the lower half of the roller shaft bushing 24, is pivotally secured to the side plate 12 by the pin 112. When the spacer material roll is in place, the belt 114 secures the arm 1113 in bearing position against theroller shaft. To remove the empty roll hub and insert a fresh roll, the arm is unbolted from the side plate and pivoted out of theway, allowing the roller shaft portions to be separated, and the portion 20 and-the roll hub may be dropped down and out from between the side plates and 12. Separation of the shaft portions 18 and 20 is accomplished by means of the squared portions 116 and 118 on the ends of the shaft portions.

f Figures land, 2 illustrate the use of the dispensing head and show {the supporting structure for the head mounted adjacent a re-coiling machine indicated generally by the number 120. The supporting structure consists of a pair of beams 122 and 1.24, straddling the re-coiling machine and generally horizontally disposed, and beams-126 and 128 rigidly secured to beams 122 and 124 by gusset plates 130 and 132 and which extend genment along the shaft. A similar assembly is provided in the dispensing head for the shaft 161. Reinforcing plates 178, again only one being shown, are secured to side plates 10 and 12 by bolts 180, and retain the bushings 182 and bearings 184 for movement of shaft 161. The dispensing head is free to slide on the shafts 157 and 161, aided by the bearings, in response to a push or pull by the operator on the shaft 186-passing through an eye 188 in the side beam 126. Oneend of the shaft 186 is secured to the dispensing head, as by bolts or Welding, t9 the side plate 12 intermediate the ends of the dispensing head. The motor control cable 90 passes along. or through the push shaft 18610 the control box 196,'secured to the opposite end ofthe push shaft.

The operation of the dispensinghead is as follows: The steel ribbons 192' coming from the slitting machine are formed in a plurality of coils 152 on the same mandrel 194 of the re-coiling machine 120. The operator of the dispensing head standing well out'of the way of the incoming ribbon and there-coiling machine, visually .detects slack developing in any particular coil. In order to tighten up the coil, the operator pushes the dispensing head, by the push rod 186, into feeding position underneath the incoming ribbon and adjacent the forming coil,

erally downwardly to support the dispensing head. The

supporting'structure is pivoted on the stubrshafts 134 and 136 attached to the re -coiling machine and has cam arms 138 and 140 secured tothe beams 122 and 124 by bracket structures 142. The cam arms are rigidly secured to the supporting structure as by bracket and'gusset assemblies 144 and 146. A shaft 148 extends between the cam arms 138 and 1 1i and carries a plurality of cam rollers 150. which rest on the outer periphery of the coil of steel 152 being formed. Counterweights 154 and 156,

at the rear end of the supporting structure, balance the 'shown in phantom in Figure 1, illustrating the position of the dispensing head and supporting structure as the coil of steel increases in diameter.

The dispensing head is carried by'the supporting structure 'on the shafts 157 and 161 extending between the beams 126 and 128. Shaft 157 is secured by nuts 162 and the shaft 161 is secured on plate extensions 164 and 166 by nuts 168, to maintain the proper feeding angle for the dipsensing head. The shafts 157 and 161 pass through the dispensing head at the front and rear ends thereof.

Atthe rear end of the head a pair of reinforcing plates 170', as seen in Figure 2a, aresecured to the side plates 10 and 12 by bolts 172. Bushings 174 and a bearing 176 areretained the reinforcing plates for ease of moveand pushes the On button on the control. The motor starts, driving the knurled roller 52 which feedsspacer material, from the spacer material roll 16 in thedispensinghead, into the coil between the incoming ribbon and the formed portion of the coil. When the slack or looseness is taken up by the spacer material, the operator pushes the Stop button and stops the motor,.stopping the knurled drive roller 52. The brake mechanism prevents the spacer material roll from continued rotation and the spacer material, now firmly heldin the steel coil, separates at the perforated line nearest the knurled rollers. The operator continues to watch the forming coils and as slack develops in any of the coils, moves the dispensing head, by the push rod, to feeding positionin front of the slack coil and repeats the operation.

What is claimed is: V

1. A dispensing head for feeding spacer material into a coil of steel as said coil is being wound and comprising a frame, a shaft rotatably mounted in said frame intermediate the ends thereof and supporting a roll of spacer material feeding from the outer periphery of said roll and toward one end of the said frame, said spacer material having transverse rows of perforations at spaced intervals along the length thereof, roller means adjacent the said end of said frame and in contact with said spacer material on opposite sides thereof, a motor attached to the opposite end of said frame, driving means between said motor and said roller means to feed spacer material from said dispensing head into said forming steel coil, and brake means on said spacer material coil axle to stop the rotation of said spacer material coil when said motor is stopped thereby separating the spacer material at said roller,

means.

r 2. Means for feeding spacer material into a coil? of steel as the coil is being formed comprising a frame,'an axle mounted on said frame intermediate the ends thereof and carrying a coil of spacer material having the outer end thereof extending through the nose of said frame, said spacer material having transverse rows of perforations at spaced intervals along the length thereof, a pair of knurled rollers rotatably secured to said frame and having the spacer material from said spacer material coil passing therebetween, a motor mounted on said frame at the rear end thereof, driving means betweensaid motor and one of said knurled rollers to feed said spacer material into said steel coil, and brake means on said spacer material coil axle to stop the rotation of said spacer material coil when said motor is stopped thereby separating the spacer material at the knurled rollers. 7

3. A spacer material feeding head for feedingspaccl' material into a coil of steel being formed comprising a frame slidably engaged on a supporting structure stradling a coil forming machine, a shaft rotatably secured in said frame and carrying a roll of spacer material havin the end of said roll extending toward the nose of said dispensing head, said spacer material having transverse rows of perforations at spaced intervals along the length thereof, feed rollers on either side of said spacer material and in contact therewith and mounted in said frame near the nose thereof, a motor mounted on the opposite end of said frame, and driving means between said motor and one of said rollers to feed said spacer material out of said dispensing head and into the coil being formed. 4. A device for feeding spacer material into a coil of steel as the coil is being formed comprising a supporting structure pivotally secured to the machine performing the coiling operation, a plurality of shafts mounted on said supporting structure adjacent said coil, a spacer material feeding head slidably engaged on said shafts and including a frame, a shaft rotatably secured in said frame and supporting a roll of spacer material having the end thereof extending toward the nose of said frame, a pair of knurled rollers mounted in said frame and on either side of said extending end of spacer material, and driving means for one of said knurled rollers mounted on said frame for feeding said spacer material into said steel coil. 5. A device for feeding spacer material into a coil of steel in a re-coiling machine wherein a plurality of coils are being formed comprising a supporting structure pivotally mounted over said coiling machine and having legs extending on either side of the ribbon of steel being coiled, a plurality of shafts extending between said legs and below said steel ribbon, spacer material feeding means slidably engaged on said shafts and movable therealong, a push rod secured to said spacer material feeding means to slide said feeding means to material feeding position adjacent any of said plurality of coils, controls for said spacer material feeding means mounted on said supporting structure for actuating said feeding means at the will of an operator, and cam means rigidly secured to said frame and riding on said steel coil to raise said frame and said material feeding means as said coil grows in size and keeping said material feeding means in proper relation to said coil.

6. A device for feeding spacer material into a coil of steel being wound comprising a supporting structure straddling the machine performing the coiling operation and pivoted thereto and including a pair of beams on either side of said coil, a plurality of shafts extending between said beams and spaced from said coil, a spacer material dispensing head slidably engaged on said shafts and in spacer material feeding relation to said coil, a push rod secured to said dispensing head and slidably engaged in one of said beams for laterally positioning said dispensing head along said coil, and said dispensing head including a frame, a shaft rotatably mounted in said frame and supporting a roll of spacer material having one end extending from the outer periphery of said roll to the end of said dispensing head adjacent the steel coil being formed, a plurality of rollers rotatably secured in said frame and in driving engagement with the extending portion of said spacer material, a motor mounted on said frame at the end away from said steel coil, driving means between said motor and said rollers for feeding said spacer material into said steel coil, and control means for said motor for intermittently starting and stopping said motor thereby operating said rollers and feeding said spacer material into said steel coil at the will of an operator.

7. In combination with a steel coiling machine a supporting structure pivotally supported on said machine, and a spacer material dispensing head slidable on said supporting structure for feeding spacer material into the coil being formed on said machine, said supporting structure including support beams on either side of said machine and pivoted thereto, a plurality of shafts extending between said beams and adjacent said coil being formed, cam means attached to said beams and acting on said coil being formed to raise said structure as the coil increases in diameter and said dispensing head including a frame slidably engaged on said supporting structure shafts, an axle rotatably secured in said frame and supporting a roll of spacer material having an end extending out the nose of said frame, feed rollers rotatably secured in said frame on either side of said extending end of spacer material, drive means for said feed rollers secured to said frame for driving said rollers and feeding said spacer material and said coil, and a push rod attached to said frame and extending through one of said support structure beams for laterally locating said dispensing head in spacer material feeding position adjacent said steel coil.

8. A dispensing head for feeding spacer materal into a coil of steel as said coil is being wound comprising a frame having laterally spaced side plates and an end plate secured thereto, a shaft rotatably supported by bushings in said side plates and carrying a roll of spacer material having the outer end thereof extending toward the nose of said frame, knurled rollers rotatably secured in bushings in said side plates on either side of said extending end of spacer material, said knurled rollers being in driving contact with said spacer material, a motor mounted on said end plate of said frame and having a first bevel gear secured on the drive shaft thereof, a shaft rotatably secured in bushings in said side plates and having a second bevel gear mounted thereon in driving relation with said first bevel gear, said last named shaft extending through one of said side plates and having a first sprocket gear secured thereon, a second sprocket gear secured to one of said knurled rollers and aligned with said first named sprocket gear, and a drive chain between said first and second sprocket gears for driving one of said knurled rollers by said motor thereby feeding said spacer material from said spacer material roll into the forming steel coil.

Wright et al. June 18, 1907 Franz Dec. 7, 1937 

